

Who we are
Our mission is to promote a greater public engagement with Antarctica, through heritage conservation, storytelling and effective advocacy.
Through the care and conservation of six designated historic sites and monuments on the Antarctic Peninsula, we aim to engage, inform and inspire current and future generations with Antarctica’s heritage. We deliver and support a range of innovative public programmes to engage and inspire people of all ages with 250 years of British human endeavour in Antarctica.
Meet our Patrons, Trustees and Team
HRH The Princess Royal Patron
Since our foundation as a trust, we have benefitted from exceptional support from our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal. Her Royal Highness takes a keen interest in our work as well as wider Antarctic matters and has visited the region on more than one occasion, including Port Lockroy in 2007.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes Vice Patron
Undoubtedly one of our greatest living explorers. Sir Ranulph has broken countless world records and led even more expeditions to remote regions all over the world. His Antarctic achievements rival those of Scott and Shackleton and his knowledge of the Polar Regions is probably unrivalled. His biography of Captain Scott is a must-read and his support of our work as a Trust is hugely welcome.
Dr Dafila Scott Vice Patron
Dafila is one of our foremost wildlife artists. Her connection with the Antarctic stems from her grandfather, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, as indeed does her passion for wildlife. In his final letter to his wife Scott asked of his son, Peter, “Make him interested in natural history” - a trait evidently passed down to the next generation. In 2012 Dafila was Artist in Residence for the Scott Polar Research Institute, travelling to Antarctica to capture the wildlife and scenery on canvas.
The Hon. Alexandra Shackleton Vice Patron
Alexandra has been a key figure in Antarctic matters all her life. As Sir Ernest Shackleton’s granddaughter, she has worked tirelessly to share her grandfather’s story and ensure his legacy is passed to new generations. Alexandra is also the President of the James Caird Society and has been patron of several expeditions retracing Shackleton’s expeditions.
John Pye Chair
After the RAF, Air Commodore John Pye spent ten years on the British Antarctic Survey Board – responsible for operations, logistics and corporate services. He became a Trustee of UKAHT in 2009, was Hon Treasurer for three years and was appointed Chair in September 2020. John has been an Independent Member of a Police Authority and a NHS Trust Non-Executive Director. He chairs an audit & governance committee for a mayoral Combined Authority. He is member of the Royal College of Defence Studies, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a BAS Club member. Travel to far flung places is high on his list of interests.
Jane Arthur Vice Chair
Jane has worked in the museums and heritage sector for over 35 years in Birmingham, Stoke on Trent and the West Midlands. She has served on a number of national committees, the Arts Council Accreditation committee and Museums Association Ethics Committee and worked as a Heritage Lottery Fund mentor. She is a freelance museum consultant specialising in strategic development for collections management and care, governance standards and facilitating organisational change. From 2010-16 she was a trustee then Chair of the Birmingham Conservation Trust overseeing the development and opening of the award winning Newman Brothers’ Coffin Fitting Factory. She is fascinated by Antarctica, it’s history and stories of endeavour, science and discovery. She has visited twice and plans to return.
Tom Wright CBE Trustee
Tom Wright has extensive experience in the heritage sector as a Trustee of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Imperial War Museum and Leeds Castle. He has also worked globally in tourism as the CEO of VisitBritain and prior to this as Managing Director of Saga Holidays, and in challenging environments as a Board Member of the Disaster Emergency Committees. Tom has been CEO of two of the UK’s largest charities, most recently Guide Dogs. A lifetime fascination with Antarctica and naval exploration coupled with human endeavour has drawn Tom to UKAHT.
Kim Crosbie Trustee
Kim has been working in the polar regions for over 25 years including, formerly, as the Executive Director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), one of UKAHT’s key stakeholders. Kim started in the polar regions as a post graduate researcher at the Scott Polar Research Institute where she gained an M.Phil in environmental management in the Arctic, before embarking on a PhD that focused on ecological monitoring and management in the Antarctic, spending three austral summer seasons in primitive conditions at a temporary field camp. On completing her PhD Kim remained in the field of visitor management, leading expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic, primarily onboard expedition vessels, supporting groups of students, film makers, authors, artists and other visitors. Subsequently, she worked for IAATO for 12 years working with the Antarctic tour operators to develop a strong framework of visitor management practices and as such was a regular visitor to Port Lockroy.
Jamie Anderson Trustee
Jamie’s love of everything polar led him to join the Royal Marines to get cold and wet as a Commando in Arctic Norway and then onto leading expeditions across the Arctic. He has worked in disaster response, reacting to shipping incidents, natural disasters and oil spills across the world. For the last three years, he has also collaborated with the British Antarctic Survey, helping them prepare for crisis and environmental incidents. He travelled south on the RRS Sir David Attenborough for her maiden voyage to Antarctica as part of the ship's ice trials team and was lucky enough to be onboard when the ship visited Port Lockroy for the first time. Jamie’s current role is as a director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions and as a special advisor to the Environmental Audit Select Committee for inquiries into the Arctic and Antarctic.
Bob Kidby Trustee
Bob was a City solicitor for over 30 years and Head of Real Estate at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells). Since leaving the law in 2010 he has been a director (executive and non-executive) of a number of commercial and charitable organisations. He currently owns and runs a commercial recording studio in Suffolk and is an Appeal Steward of the British Boxing Board of Control. He has had a strong lifelong interest in the Antarctic and those who have explored it.
Sumit Paul-Choudhury Trustee
Sumit Paul-Choudhury is a writer and consultant specialising in science, technology and the future. Trained as a physicist at Imperial College, he subsequently turned his hand to journalism, spending fifteen years writing about finance and risk. In 2008 he joined New Scientist, becoming where he served as editor-in-chief from 2011-2017 and as the founding creative director for New Scientist Live. His creative studio, Alternity, focuses on unexplored possibilities and he is fascinated by the geographical, cultural and social uniqueness of Antarctica.
Clive Sanders Trustee
Clive started out in the commercial sector working on a range of global sporting events and has since gone on to work in a range of leadership roles spanning fundraising, events, marketing, innovation, sponsorship, operational management across the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Clive was privileged to help deliver the 2012 Olympics, and at Cancer Research UK, led the largest fundraising event series outside the USA. Currently, a Director at Save the Children, Clive leads a number of fundraising, data, and operations departments throughout the UK. He has a keen interest in exploration and the history of human endeavour.
Victoria Snowden Trustee
Victoria has had an interest in Antarctica and its wildlife for several years, which following her own expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula in early 2020 was cemented into a fresh interest in the history of Antarctic exploration. Victoria is a qualified Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and a Partner at Lane Clark & Peacock, a pensions consultancy, advising pension trustees and companies on their long-term pension commitments. She hopes to visit Antarctica again in the future, in particular the UKAHT’s flagship site of Port Lockroy.
Claire Warrior Trustee Elect
Claire read Social Anthropology at Cambridge and began her career at the Pitt Rivers Museum and World Museum Liverpool. Since 2001, she has worked at Royal Museums Greenwich where she curated the recent Polar Worlds gallery. Claire’s research focuses on the history of British polar exploration, and the connections between families, memory, museums and national identity. She has written widely on these subjects and has appeared on TV as a polar expert, including on BBC News, Sunday Brunch, Museum Secrets and the documentary Hunt for the Arctic Ghost Ship. She has served on the committee of the Museum Ethnographers Group and is a Trustee of the Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury.
Hugh Broughton Trustee
Hugh is an architect and is considered one of the world’s leading designers of science research facilities in Antarctica. His completed projects include Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station, the world’s first relocatable polar research station and Juan Carlos 1 Spanish Antarctic Base on Livingstone Island. Ongoing projects include the redevelopment of Scott Base for Antarctica New Zealand on Ross Island; a series of projects for the Australian Antarctic Division in East Antarctica as part of their Antarctic Infrastructure Renewal Program; and the Discovery Building at Rothera Research Station, designed in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey’s Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme. Alongside work in the polar regions, the other mainstay of Hugh’s career has been working on heritage projects of international significance. Recent award-winning projects include the conservation and interpretation of Sir Christopher Wren’s Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and of the medieval Clifford’s Tower in York for English Heritage
Camilla Nichol Chief Executive
Camilla has worked in the museums and heritage sector for 20 years. She read Geology at Edinburgh followed by Museum Studies at Leicester and went on to work with collections as diverse as geology, zoology, scientific and medical instruments, anatomy and pathology, the early oil industry and Scottish football. Previously Head of Collections for Leeds Museums and Galleries, she led the science team at York Museums Trust as Keeper of Geology and whilst at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University she was fortunate to curate the Antarctic rock collections including specimens collected from Elephant Island by the marooned men from Endurance and the first rocks collected from the Antarctic mainland and by Carsten Borchgrevink in 1895. Camilla holds an AMA from the Museums Association, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is a trustee of the Burton Constable Foundation and Chair of the Cromwell Museum Trust.
Heather Barrable Development & Content Officer
Inspired in childhood by her great grandfather’s copy of The Great White South by Herbert Ponting, Heather studied Geology at the University of Leicester followed by Vertebrate Palaeontology at UCL. Diverse roles in both the public and private sectors have seen her organising events, editing magazines and delivering babies! Combining her passion for Antarctica and its powerful stories with her customer service skills, Heather is your point of contact for membership and donations.
Roddy Bedford Retail Operations
Roddy has over 20 years of experience in the heritage retail sector. She combines creativity with business acumen to maximise profit and develop carefully thought-through and brand-conscious ranges. Roddy is adept at working collaboratively with clients to sensitively realise their commercial potential and delight their customers. Roddy has a keen interest in social history and is fascinated by feats of human endurance and our ability to overcome adversity.
Sarah Blythe Head of Communications and Marketing
Sarah is an experienced senior communications specialist with a background in the charity and third sector. She has led on a variety of projects – both here in the UK and internationally – spanning PR, communications, branding, digital, creative campaign production and editorial. Sarah has a keen interest in the environment and conservation, and is an advocate for animal rights and welfare.
Bridgette Hudson-Farmer Trust & Finance Officer
Bridgette has worked in the charity sector for over six years prior to joining UKAHT and has a long administrative, finance and retail background. Although originally from the South Island of New Zealand she has been settled here in the UK for many years. Outside of work she loves travel, yoga and wild/cold water swimming. Bridgette is your contact for all financial and shop enquiries.
Camilla Johns Head of Development
Camilla is a fundraiser with a background in the arts, heritage and environmental sector. She has worked in development for over a decade, raising funds to support wide-reaching education projects, conservation work and capital appeals across the UK and for organisations including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Holburne Museum and Campaign for National Parks. She has lifelong interest in the world’s remote and wild places. Ask Camilla about how you can become involved in supporting UKAHT.
Lesley Johnston Narrative Designer
After almost a decade working in the engineering and renewables sector Lesley pivoted back to her interests in history and heritage by undertaking a postgraduate degree in Heritage Visualisation with the Glasgow School of Art. Here she developed the skills to digitally document sites and artefacts and develop innovative methods for interacting with both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage culture. More recently, Lesley has been working as a freelance Heritage Visualisation and Photogrammetry Consultant and is excited to have the opportunity to work with the UKAHT team. In her role she will be developing ways to bring aspects of UKAHT’s historical archive into the public sphere and bring its stories to life through immersive and interactive technologies.
Ruth Lee Heritage & Operations Officer
Ruth is passionate about preserving history and loves visiting sites of historical importance. Ruth is currently studying for a Masters in International Heritage Management, an area she feels strongly about. Ruth has volunteered and worked in the heritage sector previously, but also has worked in various other sectors, from finance to facilities management. Ruth is excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the UKAHT team as the Heritage & Operations Officer and supporting their hard work in Antarctica. Ruth is your contact for heritage, conservation and operational questions.
Claudine Maya Head of Finance
Claudine is a qualified accountant (CIMA) with 19 years experience working in the Pharmaceutical Industry. She has a successful track record for leading and motivating teams, as well as delivering key financial projects to plan, including statutory reports, budgets and management accounts. Claudine has a keen interest in the environment.
Sophie Montagne Head of Operations
Sophie runs the Trust's activities in Antarctica and manages the seasonal teams at Port Lockroy. She spent three months in Antarctica in 2017/2018 as part of the British Army's record-breaking Ice Maiden team, the first team of women to ski across Antarctica using muscle power alone. She trained in Arctic Norway with the Royal Marines and the Norwegian Army, learning how to survive, and be comfortable, in a frozen environment. Prior to joining UKAHT, Sophie was the Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, helping to improve politicians' understanding of the polar regions, and has spoken to over 30,000 young people across the UK about Antarctica and exploration. Sophie is an Army Reservist, a military ski instructor and always happiest in the mountains.
Ruth Mullett Head of Buildings and Conservation
Ruth is interested in understanding the historic environment through the stories of those who have lived and worked in it. In her role Ruth seeks to ensure that the heritage sites and buildings in our care are conserved according to their significance and special interest. Ruth has previously worked as a heritage consultant on projects ranging from medieval hall houses to WWII air bases, and from country houses to historic ships. Before entering the historic environment profession, Ruth trained as a medievalist and taught manuscript studies and cultural history at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and Cornell University (USA).
Peter Watson Communications Officer
Peter is a travel writer, photographer and founder of outdoor travel blog Atlas & Boots. His work has been published by The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC Travel, The Independent, Lonely Planet and National Geographic among others. He’s also contributed to several travel books published by DK Eyewitness. A keen trekker and climber he can often be found on the trails of the Greater Ranges. He’s visited over 90 countries, across all seven continents, and is currently focused on climbing the seven summits – the highest mountain on every continent. Four down, three to go…
Andrew Jones Field Operations Manager
AJ delivers UKAHT's field and conservation operations in Antarctica. He ensures they are safe, successful and sustainable. He has over 14 years of experience planning and leading operations all over the world, including over 10 years in the Royal Marines. During his military career, he planned and directed complex logistics operations in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. He also led operations in the Norwegian Arctic, Yemen and Sierra Leone and worked in Libya, the US and Europe. After the Royal Marines, AJ earned a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences and an MA in Development and Emergency Practice. Most recently, AJ was a senior leader in a UK-based technology company where he built their operations from the ground up. For the last 12 years, he’s held a seasonal leadership and management role with Crisis, a UK-based homeless charity. AJ is an avid traveller, a passionate hiker, and a prolific coffee drinker. On his days off he can be found wandering remote locations in all weathers with his long-suffering spaniel, Saffie.
Dickie Hall Head of Operations
Dickie has joined UKAHT as the Head of Operations. He will be administering the Trust’s remote activities across the Antarctic Peninsula and managing the team at Port Lockroy. Dickie is a biologist by training who has moved into project management and deep-field logistics. He has spent many years working and living in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions with the British Antarctic Survey, South Georgia Heritage Trust, and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He has worked on two major, globally important habitat restoration projects: the SGHT eradication of rodents from South Georgia and most recently with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on their mouse eradication on Gough Island in the mid-Atlantic. Dickie loves travelling and being in the wilderness, especially in the mountains and remote places of the world.
Sally Owen Falkland Islands Co-ordinator
Sally qualified as a Dental Surgeon in 1987. A short service commission with the Royal Army Dental Corps allowed her to develop her passion for mountaineering and travel. This started with two years attached to the Royal Navy, including an expedition to Nepal, followed by two years with the British Antarctic Survey, based on RRS Bransfield. During her BAS days, she visited all the British bases, including the HSMs UKAHT cares for today. During this time, Sally fell in love with the Falkland Islands and decided to relocate, finding a dental officer job. However, Antarctica beckoned again, so she set off for Antarctica as the Postmistress at Port Lockroy for the 2007-08 season. Since then, Sally has acted as our local agent in the Falkland Islands and often returns to support the Port Lockroy team as a General Assistant as she did in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21.
Sophie Rowe Collections Management and Conservation Advisor
Sophie is an object conservator with over 20 years of experience working in National and University Museums. She first became excited about Antarctic heritage while working at the Polar Museum in Cambridge, which is home to an amazing collection from Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition, as well as many fascinating objects from more recent Antarctic explorations. Sophie was conservator at the Polar Museum and worked on these collections from 2012-19, in a post sponsored by UKAHT. In 2017 she went to Antarctica for the first time to carry out a full inventory and condition survey of the artefacts at Base Y, on Horseshoe Island, and hugely enjoyed the chance to spend so much time getting to know the hut and it's contents. Sophie returned in 2019-20, visiting Port Lockroy alongside Lizzie Meek.
Jonathan Selby Advisor, ICT and Communications
Jonathan, whose company, Xaxero is listed on our sponsors’ page, provides the know-how and advice, as well as hands on installation, for all our vital communications equipment and software at Port Lockroy. He visits each season to help the team with the satellite communications and ICT on base.
Clare Ballantyne General Assistant, Postmaster
Clare graduated in 2022 with a first integrated Master's degree in Earth Sciences. Prior to university, she spent a year travelling and studying in the USA as a Georgia Rotary scholar. Clare has worked as a cleaner and sales assistant, supported an Oxford University Safety Office investigation into fire risk in cathedrals, and catalogued fossils at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. She also worked full-time at Lincoln Coronavirus Regional Test Centre whilst studying remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clare completed an ultramarathon in the Azores and organised a two-week trekking expedition in the Swiss Alps through volunteering in the Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps Army Reserve unit. Having studied polar regions from oceanographic, climate, and glaciological perspectives. Clare went south to Port Lockroy for the 2022/23 season and will be returning next year.
Mairi Hilton Consultant Wildlife Biologist
Mairi was the Wildlife Monitor at Port Lockroy during the 22/23 season and is now a Consultant Wildlife Biologist for UKAHT. She is leading the development of new environmental management plans for UKAHT’s sites in Antarctica. Mairi recently spent four years living in Melbourne, Australia, where she completed a PhD in conservation biology. Prior to her PhD, she graduated with an MA in Geography and an MRes in Ecology and Environmental Biology at Glasgow University, where she developed a keen interest in glacial environments. During her studies, Mairi was a member of the Glasgow University Exploration Society, where she took part in wildlife research expeditions to the Peruvian Amazon and Trinidad and Tobago. She has also worked as an ecologist, conducted fieldwork in the Australian Alps and helped to run a restaurant on the remote Scottish Isle of Barra.
Jo Bradshaw Field Guide
Jo is an adventurer, expedition leader, outdoor instructor and public speaker. She has climbed six of the seven summits, was the third British woman to reach the true summit of Manaslu (the world’s eighth highest peak) and was the 36th British woman to summit Everest. Jo is currently coordinating the conservation team at Damoy.
Sven Habermann Heritage Carpenter, Damoy
Sven has worked in heritage conservation for 20 years, specialising in wooden objects and historic interiors. Recent projects include conserving the deck cabin of the Quest in which Sir Ernest Shackleton died in 1922. Born in Germany, he claims to be “the only Sven in Ireland” and lives with his young family in Connemara.
Martin Herrmann Heritage Carpenter, Damoy
Born in Germany, but living in Norway, Martin has worked on historic huts in Svalbard, and at the Røros Mining Museum – reputedly the coldest place in Norway. He was a member of the Røde Kors (Red Cross) avalanche group in Svalbard, and the Redningsselskapet (Sea Rescue Society) in Røros.
Work for us Join the UKAHT team
We have small dedicated teams in Antarctica and the UK who work hard to keep our operation going, preserving our Antarctic heritage and sharing it with the world. Each year we recruit a team to run and manage Port Lockroy in Antarctica and occasionally also have vacancies for other specialist roles in the UK. Job vacancies are advertised on this website and on social media. Check out our jobs page for up-to-date vacancies. We politely ask that you keep an eye on these pages for any updates rather than contact us directly.

Strategy and Annual Report
Here you can find our 2020 - 2030 strategy and most recent annual reports.
Strategy 2020 - 2030 30th anniversary report Annual Report 2021 - 2022 Annual Report 2020 - 2021 Annual Report 2019 - 2020
Our Supporters
We work very closely with our three main stakeholders British Antarctic Survey, International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to ensure our strategies will ensure the best possible future for the historic sites in our care.